UFO Solutions

Good Morning!

How many UFO's do you have in the closet, under the bed, or maybe in the attic?  Come on, be honest now.  Most knitters have them lurking somewhere and I am not immune to this phenomenon either.

There are many reasons for UFOs.  Loss of interest is a big one right up there with ran out of yarn.  Maybe the project turned into something more complicated than you expected.  Having worked in a yarn shop for a number of years, another reason is the finishing that needed to be done.  The knitter either hated finishing, in which case I introduced them to circular knitting, or they just didn't do it well. 

How about going real green here and unearth that project and take it apart, then re-dress the yarn.  What I mean about re-dress is, after pulling the knitting apart, wind the yarn into a hank.  It will be very curly from being locked in a stitch pattern for so long, but that can be fixed.  Once the yarn is hanked, tie the hank in several places, similar to a new purchased hank, but I like to err on the side of caution and add a few more. 

Once everything is hanked and tied, now it is time to wash.  Treat the yarn as wool, and that way you won't have to worry what the fiber content is just in case you don't have the label any more.  Immerse the yarn in a solution of warm water and wool wash (not Woolite) or any mild soap, my personal favorite is the original blue Dawn because it is ph neutral. 

Let the yarn soak for about half an hour and squeeze the water through the fiber a couple of times.  By allowing for the soak time, the fiber will be well saturated and it will relax.  Then rinse fiber in a similar water temperature as you washed it, warm.  Do not use extremes as fiber could felt depending on the type of wool you are working with. 

Once rinsed, gently squeeze excess water from the fiber and press between towels.  I like to hang the hanks on panty hose (doesn't cause a crease) and suspend them over a tub, outside or somewhere the water drips won't harm your flooring.  Let it thoroughly dry.  No more curly cues.  Your yarn is now ready to wind into a ball, ready for a new project. 

Now the problem becomes, how much yarn to I have?  What can I do with it?  Well, if you did by chance save the label, you can weigh it and get an idea how much you have.  If your hanks were nice and even, you can measure and get a rough idea how many yards you might have.  Or, take a swatch to your LYS and coordinate it with another color (contrasting collar, cuffs, bottom ribbing, button bands, etc)  and get creative.

If you really want to finish that UFO, and need some assistance, take it to your LYS.  They will probably be able to point you in the right direction by suggesting someone to help.  If you do not live near a shop, and do not know someone, please feel free to contact me.  Many knitters have been referred to me for help.  Please don't take  my word for it, I can supply references if you ask.  I have many very satisfied repeat customers.  EMail: dee@youandmeknit.com.

Happy Knitting!